| 1. |
- Penteriani, Vincenzo, et al.
(author)
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Consequences of brown bear viewing tourism : A review
- 2017
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In: Biological Conservation. - : Elsevier BV. - 0006-3207 .- 1873-2917. ; 206, s. 169-180
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Many countries promote wildlife observation as part of ecotourism offerings. The brown bear Ursus arctos is among the most targeted species for ecotourism in Notth America and Europe, making it an ideal candidate to examine the consequences of wildlife viewing upon the species. As bear viewing often occurs in sensitive places where bears congregate for mating, rearing young and/or feeding, it is important to evaluate potential positive and negative effects of different viewing practices. Here we reviewed available information on bear viewing practices and their effects on bears, people and ecosystems. Behavioural, physiological and ecological aspects related to bears are reviewed from three different perspectives: ecotourism consequences for bears, direct bear-human interactions and social impacts of bear ecotourism. Because bear viewing can have positive and negative impacts on both bear populations and bear-human interactions, it is important to carefully evaluate every practice associated with bear viewing at a local scale. Because bear populations around the world have diverse population statuses and different management regimes, successful procedures and rules effective in one place do not guarantee that they will be adequate elsewhere. Effective management of bear viewing practices requires a better understanding of the consequences for bears, the mechanisms behind observed bear reactions to humans, and the results of bear habituation. Because inappropriate beat viewing practices can lead to processes such as food conditioning and habituation, which can have serious consequences for both people and bears, regulations on bear ecotourism are urgently needed to minimize unintended consequences of bear viewing practices.
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| 2. |
- Penteriani, Vincenzo, et al.
(author)
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Evolutionary and ecological traps for brown bears Ursus arctos in human-modified landscapes
- 2018
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In: Mammal Review. - : Wiley. - 0305-1838 .- 1365-2907. ; 48:3, s. 180-193
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Evolutionary traps, and their derivative, ecological traps, occur when animals make maladaptive decisions based on seemingly reliable environmental cues, and are important mechanistic explanations for declines in animal populations. Despite the interest in large carnivore conservation in human-modified landscapes, the emergence of traps and their potential effects on the conservation of large carnivore populations has frequently been overlooked. The brown bear Ursus arctos typifies the challenges facing large carnivore conservation and recent research has reported that this species can show maladaptive behaviours in human-modified landscapes. Here we review, describe and discuss scenarios recognised as evolutionary or ecological traps for brown bears, and propose possible trap scenarios and mechanisms that have the potential to affect the dynamics and viability of brown bear populations. Six potential trap scenarios have been detected for brown bears in human-modified landscapes: 1) food resources close to human settlements; 2) agricultural landscapes; 3) roads; 4) artificial feeding sites; 5) hunting by humans; and 6) other human activities. Because these traps are likely to be of contrasting relevance for different demographic segments of bear populations, we highlight the importance of evaluations of the relative demographic consequences of different trap types for wildlife management. We also suggest that traps may be behind the decreases in brown bear and other large carnivore populations in human-modified landscapes.
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| 3. |
- Penteriani, Vincenzo, et al.
(author)
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Female brown bears use areas with infanticide risk in a spatially confined population
- 2020
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In: Ursus (International Association for Bear Research and Management). - 1537-6176 .- 1938-5439. ; 2020:31e2, s. 1-9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Areas used by female brown bears (Ursus arctos) with cubs-of-the-year (hereafter, FCOY) during the first months after den exit are crucial for offspring survival, primarily because of the risk of infanticide by male bears. Therefore, FCOY may avoid areas frequented by adult males during the mating season. The main aim of this study was to identify landscape features (i.e., structure, composition, and human footprint) that may differentiate the habitat use of FCOY in the small bear population of the Cantabrian Mountains (northwestern Spain; 2001–2016) from (a) areas frequented by females with yearlings, because older cubs are at less risk of infanticide than cubs-of-the-year, and (b) bear mating areas (i.e., the riskiest areas for FCOY because of the presence of adult males). During the first months after den emergence (Apr–Jun), FCOY settled in the roughest areas of the Cantabrian Mountains at most spatial scales. This settlement pattern might represent a behavioral adaptation of FCOY to reduce the risk of encounters with males during the mating season. However, FCOY also settled in similar landscapes to those used by adult bears during the mating season, which may increase the likelihood of risky encounters. Indeed, we observed a spatial overlap between observed locations of FCOY and mating areas, which may help explain the high frequency of infanticide observed in the Cantabrian Mountains. We hypothesize that the need for both shelter and food in early spring may ‘trap’ FCOY in otherwise favorable areas that overlap with mating areas. This may occur predominately in small and confined bear populations, such as the one in the Cantabrian Mountains, where a restricted range and limited habitat availability might prevent FCOY from avoiding risky areas successfully.
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| 4. |
- Vicedo, Toni, et al.
(author)
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Temporal activity patterns of bears, wolves and humans in the Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain
- 2023
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In: European Journal of Wildlife Research. - 1612-4642 .- 1439-0574. ; 69:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Human-wildlife coexistence is important for a sustainable relationship between humans and the natural environment. However, human activities often act as a disturbance to wild animals, which may show behavioural shifts indicating human avoidance. For large carnivores, which are prone to conflict with many human interests, coexistence with humans can be particularly challenging. We used long-term camera trap data to evaluate seasonal and diel variations in activity of two large carnivores, the brown bear (Ursus arctos) and the grey wolf (Canis lupus), as well as humans in the Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain. Brown bears were less active in winter than in summer; the opposite was observed for wolves, whereas there was limited seasonal variation in human activity. On a diel scale, both bears and wolves were mostly crepuscular during summer and had less distinct, but generally more nocturnal activity during winter. Humans were strictly diurnal during both seasons. We suggest that the diel activity of bears and wolves was partially caused by human avoidance, but that seasonal variations in both overall and diel activity were mainly caused by ecological and physiological factors. While we suggest that the observed similarity in diel activity of bears and wolves did not have caused strong competition between these two species, it may have influenced interactions with other predators and prey. Since such interactions are likely to be context dependent, we urge for further studies evaluating how humans influence the behaviour of large carnivores across different spatio-temporal scales.
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| 5. |
- Zarzo-Arias, Alejandra, et al.
(author)
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Identifying potential areas of expansion for the endangered brown bear (Ursus arctos) population in the Cantabrian Mountains (NW Spain)
- 2019
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 14:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Many large carnivore populations are expanding into human-modified landscapes and the subsequent increase in coexistence between humans and large carnivores may intensify various types of conflicts. A proactive management approach is critical to successful mitigation of such conflicts. The Cantabrian Mountains in Northern Spain are home to the last remaining native brown bear (Ursus arctos) population of the Iberian Peninsula, which is also amongst the most severely threatened European populations, with an important core group residing in the province of Asturias. There are indications that this small population is demographically expanding its range. The identification of the potential areas of brown bear range expansion is crucial to facilitate proactive conservation and management strategies towards promoting a further recovery of this small and isolated population. Here, we used a presence-only based maximum entropy (MaxEnt) approach to model habitat suitability and identify the areas in the Asturian portion of the Cantabrian Mountains that are likely to be occupied in the future by this endangered brown bear population following its range expansion. We used different spatial scales to identify brown bear range suitability according to different environmental, topographic, climatic and human impact variables. Our models mainly show that: (1) 4977 km(2) are still available as suitable areas for bear range expansion, which represents nearly half of the territory of Asturias; (2) most of the suitable areas in the western part of the province are already occupied (77% of identified areas, 2820 km(2)), 41.4% of them occurring inside protected areas, which leaves relatively limited good areas for further expansion in this part of the province, although there might be more suitable areas in surrounding provinces; and (3) in the eastern sector of the Asturian Cantabrian Mountains, 62% (2155 km(2)) of the land was classified as suitable, and this part of the province hosts 44.3% of the total area identified as suitable areas for range expansion. Our results further highlight the importance of increasing: (a) the connectivity between the currently occupied western part of Asturias and the areas of potential range expansion in the eastern parts of the province; and (b) the protection of the eastern sector of the Cantabrian Mountains, where most of the future population expansion may be expected.
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